Rev. Joseph Stefancin
Pastor
​July 1, 2024

Dear Friends in Christ,
I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Fr. Joe Stefancin and I’ll be serving as your new pastor. Once again, we find ourselves in transition and we all know that change and transitions can be hard as well as easy. I have been praying for both clusters  (the one that I am leaving as well as the one that I am coming to).  My prayer is that as we begin this new chapter in our lives under God’s watchful love and care that we approach this transition with grace and an open heart.
I have called the Diocese of Superior my home since 1985 when I became the Director of Religious Education and Youth Ministry at St. Robert Bellarmine (now St. Xavier) in Merrill, WI. Since then, I married my wife Audrey in 1987, and we adopted two children. My wife and I raised our children in Medford, right down the road from you. I became a Permanent Deacon on August 12, 1995. Audrey died of cancer in 2009. On July 19, 2020, I was ordained to the priesthood. I have enjoyed every vocation that God has given me. Here are a few highlights of being a priest: praying the Mass, hearing confessions and visiting with people.
As we spend more time together, I hope to have the privilege of hearing your faith stories. God has a plan for all of us and I am excited to be a part of the Five Saints Catholic Community and its story. I hope you are too.
 
Peace and all good things!
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